Fake paramedic was a ‘blue light junkie’

A convicted fake paramedic tricked his way into a job as an ambulance driver less than three years after being banned from posing as a member of the emergency services.

Leigh Westerman was employed as an ambulance technician by Arriva for nearly two weeks in April. He was caught out after a picture of himself in front of the vehicle, posted on his Facebook page, was reported to police.

Westerman of East Avenue, South Elmsall, appeared at Wakefield Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. The court heard he had faked medical certificates so he could qualify for a job as an ambulance worker.

Karen Medley, prosecuting, said he applied to Jigsaw Medical Recruitment, who placed him with Arriva, where he worked shifts between April 4 and April 14. The job meant he could administer first aid, use a defibrillator and resuscitate patients.

His colleagues referred to him as a “blue light junkie” because he sometimes used the emergency lights when they weren’t needed.

Westerman, 31, who was issued with a five year anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) in 2012 after pretending to be a traffic warden and a paramedic, admitted to police on arrest that he had been working as an Arriva ambulance driver. But he denied using the lights.

Ruth Gill, defending, said: “Fortunately, they were short-lived appointments and he was very quickly detected. Even more fortunately there is no evidence to suggest that any patients at any time were subjected to any harm due to his involvement.”

Westerman, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and to breaching his ASBO, which banned him from having flashing lights on his vehicle and behaving like or wearing clothing like an emergency services worker.

Magistrates jailed him for ten months and disqualified him from driving for two years. He was given a lifetime Criminal Behaviour Order stopping him being or posing as an emergency services worker or contacting them except in a genuine emergency.